Ichiban Kuji Kyun-Chara Tomoe Mami (C Prize) Review: Part 2

Let's Review: Ichiban Kuji Kyun-Chara Tomoe Mami Part 2

It's a new day and that means a new review. Today, we continue from yesterday's first part of our Kyun-Chara Mami review. If you haven't already read that, make sure to check it out first before moving onto today's second part where we take a look at Mami's Magical Girl outfit, the base and final impressions.

Starting of with the outfit, Banpresto has faithfully reproduced Mami's Magical Girl outfit even down to the finer details. Every little detail of the outfit has been expertly reproduced from the various pin-stripes to the silver buckles. Even Mami's yellow ribbon which is flush with her outfit is perfectly painted without any signs of paint spillage. It's all the more impressive when you consider just how small the surface area available is.

The high quality of detailing continues all the way onto the back namely, the continuous white pin-striping which encircles the upper and lower border of Mami's corset. There aren't any visible discontinuations or spills in the painting which earns it two, well earned, thumbs up. Where there was the yellow ribbon in the front, there's the white ribbon in the back. It's scale may have been exaggerated some what but, it serves to highlight the otherwise rather bland back.

Aside from looking really cute, the ruffles in Mami's skirt also serve to emphasize a flowing motion in her stance. The fine brown pin-striping encircling the hem of the skirt may not be as neat but, it's hardly noticeable except from up close.

It's no secret that Mami has always had a rather prominent bust and this Kyun's designs makes that point extra noteworthy even in such a small scale.

Of course, Mami's Magical Girl transformation wouldn't be complete without her weapon of choice, the percussion lock muskets. In fact, they're so iconic if you Google Image the term "percussion lock muskets" you get a picture of Mami. 

With fear of beginning to sound like a broken record, I'm going to avoid mentioning just how well detailed these muskets are and let the pictures speak for themselves. The motif on the musket's stock is an applied decal while the one's one the barrel are painted both in the front;
 

And the back. Unfortunately, because of their size, the musket's barrel can be a little flimsy and prone to bending as demonstrated in the picture above. Fortunately, it is made from flexible PVC. Hence, just a small amount of force in the opposite direction of the curvature can help straighten the barrel out. 

As well detailed as they are, there is one undeniable flaw about the muskets and that is their mounting to Mami's hand. The mounting is rather loose resulting in only a small amount of force being required to dislodge the muskets off Mami's hands. An inconvenience at first but, it quickly becomes an annoyance especially when  you have to move the figure. 

Just using a small bit of temporary adhesive like Blu-Tack will help hold the muskets in place just fine. 

Further down we go to take a closer look at Mami's boots and stockings. Although you wouldn't expect anything less, the white stripes on Mami's thigh high stockings are all neatly painted with the lines nice and straight. Sometimes I wonder, how do they manage that? An automated process perhaps?

As for her knee high boots, they too are neatly painted and detailed. The white pin-stripe running along the boot should be clear enough indication to that matter. All in all then, you'd have to be a pretty tough customer to not be able to appreciate the detailing of Mami's outfit.

 

Which brings me to the final part of this review before wrapping it up, the base. By a mile, the most disappointing component of the figure as a whole. For starters, the mounting on the feet do not fit properly even after applying a significant amount of force. The result is a really poor fit and the appearance that Mami is floating ever so slightly off the ground.

Due to the size of her head, this Kyun-Chara Mami is very top heavy and imbalanced. The base alone with the foot mounts are unable to securely hold Mami in place requiring assistance from the stand. Even then, the fit is still much too loose as the figure threatens to fall off even at the slightest provocation of movement.

To be fair, the figure was released way back in 2011 when figure tech may not have been what it is today. Even with such high quality of detailing, such oversights in practicality can be a little frustrating.

Finally coming full circle, what are the final impressions of this Kyun-Chara Mami fully clad in her Magical Girl outfit? They're very good indeed! Despite the shortcomings that are base and a rather simple sculpt, the masterful coloring and detailing more than sufficiently make up for it. When you consider that you can get one today for just a little over 600 Yen, it daunts upon you the sure value you're getting. 

Put simply, essential collection for any Tomoe Mami or Madoka Magica fan. If you haven't already gotten one, you might want to before they're all sold out.

30 pictures later and that's a wrap for this review of the Kyun-Chara C Prize Tomoe Mami. With that, Tiro Finale can finally live up to its name again. Before I leave you for today, thanks so much for reading and I hope you've found the review helpful, or at least, enjoyable. Until next time, have a great day ahead!